New Release - The Accidental Road by Jodi Lea Stewart

1956…

Sixteen-year-old Katherine has two wishes in this world—to have enough money so she and her mother, Ellie, can escape her sadistic stepfather, Roy Cranston, and to eventually have a real home of her own. Katherine hides herself in novels and movies, and tries to be as inconspicuous as possible. But how can she fade into the background when she has a beautiful social butterfly of a mother who just happens to resemble Marilyn Monroe? It’s embarrassing, and the unwanted attention her mother garners could be the downfall of their plan to take Route 66 to the freedom of a new life—without Roy.

Once they put their plan into action and hit the road, they head to Las Vegas where a new life awaits. But real trouble begins when they become stranded in the small town of Holbrook, Arizona, and wind up rubbing shoulders with the mafia families that are moving their criminal operations closer to Las Vegas. It’s up to Katherine to keep them alive as they become targets of a mafia boss, as well as being followed by jealous Roy Cranston, who intends to have them back at all costs.

Could THE ACCIDENTAL ROAD bring them the life they’ve both longed for, or will it become a disaster they can’t escape from?

EXCERPT

     “I’m all angles and flat planes like an L-shaped ruler. My mother is all curves and bumps and bears a scary resemblance to Marilyn Monroe. It’s a curse, since no matter where we go, she’s like a specimen bug pinned ludicrously under a glass for males, no difference what age, to come stare at her. I’m an expert at narrowing my eyes and sending a toxic stare aimed right at their faces so we can have a modicum of peace, but that’s not what this story is about.

     “It’s about escaping a personal war and winding up in a dusty little Arizona town instead of the glittering lights of Las Vegas. Rather than safety, we found a place full of ghosts and tales, treachery and secrets. How long before we find out if we have taken the right road or the Accidental Road of life, and will we always have to hold our hands over our eyes and leap, never quite knowing where we’ll land until our feet hit the ground?”

 ~ Kat, 1956

      

WRITERS’ BLOCK, by Mollie Hunt, CatWriter

One of my most useful writing tips came from an unlikely source in an unlikely place. The place was a mega-Star Trek convention in Las Vegas; the source was William Shatner, known best for his role as Captain Kirk in the short-run but long-lived Star Trek, the 1966 to 1969 original series. 

To be fair, Bill Shatner has written a multitude of  books of his own. Goodreads lists 95 with 61784 ratings at an average of 3.78. He has several sci-fi & sci-fi series (yes, he brought Captain Kirk back to life after his untimely movie death in Star Trek Generations) as well as non-fiction. His most recent are Leonard, memoir about his long-term friendship with Leonard Nimoy, and Spirit of the Horse: A Celebration in Fact and Fable, a subject Mr. Shatner knows and loves. And we mustn’t forget his 1999 classic, Get a Life! where he mocks the Trekkies for not having anything better to do than play Star Trek. (A stance he recently rescinded after setting out on a mission to discern the true meaning of Star Trek and its hold over a legion of devotees. “Though Star Trek’s fandom may be rooted in science-fiction,” he writes, “it revolves, and thrives, around friendship, belonging, love, hope, and understanding.”)

 

Shatner is no slacker, in fact he’s one of the most driven people I know. He dives into his projects with passion and enthusiasm. He pushes himself to deliver the best he can create. He seeks and learns with every accomplishment. So with 95 books under his belt, (even if a number of those have been co-written) he has to have gained some perspective on the craft. At the convention, on stage with 15,000 Trekkies watching, he proved it. 

The format for the con’s guest stars usually begins with a few minutes of talk and then questions from the audience. Most of the questions for Mr. Shatner have to so with Star Trek and his famous role as Captain Kirk. “What was your favorite episode?” “ Tell us some of the behind-the-scenes anecdotes.” “Why aren’t you in the new movies?” But one young man asked another sort of question: 

“What do you do when you get writer’s block?”

Shatner didn’t hesitate. “When you get writer’s block,” he said, “it’s because you’ve gone wrong somewhere in the story. Go back to the last place that your story worked and start from there.”

Simple. Elegant. True. 

People ask me why I go to Star Trek conventions? I can honestly say that, among other things, it’s to get writing advice from William Shatner.

Next time: A revelation from another Star Trek writer alum, David Gerrold.

Check out more blogs by Mollie Hunt at:

Mollie Hunt: Crazy Cat Lady Mysteries and more 

 

Happy reading!